Canton Neuchâtel calls on its residents to participate in the fight against the arrival of the tiger mosquito

​CAnton de Neuchâtel wants to slow the arrival of the tiger mosquito in the Neuchâtel region. This small, aggressive mosquito, which has already been installed in the cantons of Ticino, Geneva, Valais and Vaud, can transmit viruses that sometimes cause serious tropical diseases. The health authorities call on the population to contribute to eliminating the breeding places of this insect and to report any suspicious mosquito on the national platform specifically designated for it.

Tiger mosquitoes, vectors of tropical diseases such as dengue fever, Zika virus disease and chikungunya, are more likely to establish themselves in canton Neuchâtel due to climate change and their spread along transport routes. In recent months, the Cantonal Public Health Service (SCSP) has noticed a slight increase in dengue cases following travel to countries affected by this disease. These cases do not constitute a public health problem as long as the tiger mosquito is not endemic in Neuchâtel. On the other hand, if this species becomes established and its numbers increase, the risk of a local epidemic resulting from an imported case is not excluded, as observed in Italy and southern France.

Simple procedures to remove potential egg laying sites

In order to reduce these health risks, the canton of Neuchâtel calls on residents to contribute to eliminating potential breeding areas for tiger mosquitoes. This measure consists of eliminating preferred spawning sites, that is, places where small amounts of water accumulate in a more or less urban environment such as watering cans, cups, containers of all kinds in gardens and balconies, poorly maintained gutters in houses or even holes in walls. It should be noted that tiger mosquitoes generally do not lay their eggs in natural bodies of water such as ponds or puddles. Another effective preventive measure is to report any presence of suspicious mosquitoes to the national platform. www.moustiques-suisse.ch. Some tips for identifying tiger mosquitoes: Unlike native species, they are active during the day and very aggressive, being able to bite the same person multiple times. It is a very small mosquito (smaller than a quarter) with white and black stripes on its legs, and a white stripe crossing its chest and head.

Traps to detect the arrival of the tiger mosquito

In addition to these preventive measures, monitoring campaigns are needed. The canton's Wildlife, Forest and Nature Service (SFFN) conducts active monitoring by setting up nesting traps in strategic locations. Since 2019, six traps have been placed on the territory of the municipality of La Tene in order to detect the possible presence of females ready to lay eggs. This procedure is carried out during the tiger mosquito's active period, from May to September, and the traps are checked every two weeks. Note that an insect is considered stable when its eggs are recorded in the same trap during three consecutive surveys for two years in a row.​

Measures taken in other cantons, which combine surveillance of strategic areas, rapid intervention and vigilance of the population, have proven effective. The strategy of the consortium, adopted by the canton of Neuchâtel, is to prevent the establishment or maintain the numbers of tiger mosquitoes at a very low level if they become established, in order to reduce the risk of disease transmission. Canton Neuchâtel also plans to meet with municipalities this year with the aim of raising their level of awareness on this topic.

Additional information is available at www.ne.ch/moustique-tigre.

Image source: CDC/GD Gathani.​